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Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has urged cricket fans and experts to give 15-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi time and space to grow after his historic India call-up.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday named Sooryavanshi in the national squads for the European tour, making him the youngest player ever selected for the Indian men's team. Sooryavanshi broke a 36-year-old record previously held by Sachin Tendulkar, who made his India debut against Pakistan in 1989 at the age of 16. Speaking at a Kabuni event at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai on Sunday, Ganguly said the youngster should be allowed to develop naturally despite the growing spotlight around him. He also said that while the teenager has already proven himself in the IPL, the pressure of representing the national team is a completely different challenge. "We should let him be, he is only 15 years old right now. I don't think he will think too much about the pressure. We have seen him play in the IPL, but the pressure of playing for India is different," Ganguly said in a video shared by Kabuni and Me Biz Team. Sooryavanshi earned his maiden national call-up after a sensational Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign with Rajasthan Royals. The left-handed batter emerged as the tournament's highest run-scorer, amassing 776 runs at a staggering strike rate of 237.30. His explosive season included a record 72 sixes, helping him rewrite several IPL records and cement his status as one of Indian cricket's brightest young prospects. The Bihar-born batter dominated the post-season awards, sweeping the Most Valuable Player (MVP), Emerging Player of the Season, Super Striker, Orange Cap and Super Sixes of the Season honours. Representing Rajasthan Royals, Sooryavanshi consistently dismantled some of the world's top bowling attacks and played a key role in the franchise's campaign with his fearless strokeplay. India's immediate assignment will be a two-match T20I series against Ireland in Belfast on June 26 and 28, followed by a five-match T20I series in England from July 1 to 11. The teenager is also in line to feature at the 2026 Asian Games, where the men's cricket competition will be played in the T20 format from September 24 to October 3. India will compete alongside Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Oman in the battle for the gold medal. The tournament will begin with a preliminary qualifying stage from September 24 to 26 before moving into the quarter-finals on September 28 and 29. The semi-finals are scheduled for October 1, with the bronze-medal match and final set to be played on October 3. (ANI)
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